1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a PC-based diagnostic system that is adaptable to test a variety of systems. In particular, the invention relates to a laptop computer diagnostic system with connector ports to I/O modules, expansion modules, and PCMCIA boards, to provide flexibility in testing different types of systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional diagnostic systems are typically dedicated to testing a particular element, or system. That is, a typical computer-based diagnostic system has one or more ports dedicated to testing a particular system.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,412, invented by George Hogg et al., discloses a diagnostic system for troubleshooting an aircraft engine using information obtained during flight. This system is totally dedicated to one use, and cannot be reconfigured to test other types of systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,628, invented by Kenneth Marko et al., discloses a system for processing test measurements collected from an engine vehicle. Again, the information received from the unit-under-test is of one type, and the system cannot be readily reconfigured to test other types of systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,850, invented by James Krass et al., discloses an adapter that is provided between a vehicle and a diagnostic computer that is testing the vehicle. A dual-port memory is utilized that is selectable within the memory space of the test computer, and does not conflict with the diagnostic program that is running on the test computer. While the software may be upgradable, this system also is not readily compatible to test other devices.
While all of the devices described above provide diagnostic capability, they do not provide the flexibility that is most desirable for testing a variety of different system, in a quick and simple manner.